Apr

3

LBJ Fouls Out But Cleveland Still Beats Bobcats 118-114

Posted by Jeff Sack under Main 

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LeBron James fouled out of Wednesday night’s game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Charlotte Bobcats with 3:56 left in the game and the Cavaliers clinging to a 104-101 lead.? Fans from Northeast Ohio who were watching the game on TV must have shaken their heads in disbelief when LBJ was tossed from the contest at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena! James had fouled out of a game only twice before in his NBA career. Cavaliers fans probably were thinking the worst, as is the nature in the city that has not won a championship in professional sports since 1964.? But what followed was what LeBron called a “a big step forward” as Cleveland held on and won by a score of 118-114.

The Bobcats played the first half of the game as if they were on a mission, and maybe they were. After all their rookie head coach Sam Vincent had been campaigning for his job in the media earlier in the day.? Perhaps they were trying to send a message to Charlotte minority owner Michael Jordan that they wanted Vincent back as well. For what ever reason, they played with an urgency in the first half, they led at the end of the first quarter 34-25.?Although Cleveland cut a good portion of their lead in the second?quarter they were?still ahead 62-58 as the game reached the half.? The Cavaliers took their first lead of the second half with 7:52 remaining in the?third as?James hit 2 at the line, to put his team up 69-68.?Cleveland was ahead 90-84, after Joe Smith hit an outside shot with 35 seconds left in the third.? That’s when the Bobcats showed they were not going to go down without a fight. With 30 seconds left Raymond Felton drove the lane and put it up and in.? Anderson Varejao did the same thing for the Cavaliers 18 seconds later, and then Matt Carroll hit a 23 foot trey at the buzzer. At the end of three quarters Cleveland led 92-89. LBJ fouled Jason Richardson?for foul number six and?Wally?Szczerbiak came into the game. The Cavaliers were on the road, in a hostile arena without their star. It would have been easy for them to fold. But Szczerbiak, Devin Brown and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas all came up clutch up to secure the win.

Even though he fouled out James still led the Cavaliers with 29 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks in the Cleveland victory. Devin Brown came up strong scoring 20 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, Anderson Varejao recorded a double-double scoring 17 points, 12 rebounds,?3 assists. Z also recorded a double-double with 16 points, 12?boards, 2 blocks, 2 steals, Joe Smith scored 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block.? Szczerbiak scored 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, Delonte West scored 10 points,?7 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block.

Jason Richardson led all scorers with 31 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1block.? Emeka Okafor scored 25 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, 1 block, Gerald Wallace scored 21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals.? Nazr Mohammed scored 11 points,?7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2?blocks. Cleveland improves to 42-33, Charlotte is now 28-47.

? Copyright 2008 thesackattack.com


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